FC: Anyone want to question Larry Ellison about national IDs?

[Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>]

[Ethan's message forwarded with permission. Please email him. --Declan]

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From: "Ethan Lindsey" <elindsey () bulletinnews com>
To: "'Declan McCullagh'" <declan () well com>
Subject: Question for Ellison
Date: Fri, 26 Oct 2001 09:34:57 -0400

> Declan,
> I am doing an interview with Ellison next week about his National ID and I
> have asked around to see if there are any questions you'd like to ask him
> that you think the mainstream media has missed the boat on thus far. I'd
> appreciate any ideas you have.
>
> Ethan
>
> Ethan Daniel Lindsey    Associate Political Editor

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Date: Thu, 25 Oct 2001 22:48:18 -0700
To: declan () well com, politech () politechbot com
From: Lizard <lizard () mrlizard com>
Subject: Re: FC: James Glassman wants national IDs: "We have to give
  up" privacy
In-Reply-To: <5.0.2.1.0.20011025213618.029b2d50 () mail well com>

At 07:17 PM 10/25/2001, Declan McCullagh wrote:
> [You can see James Glassman's bio here:
> Dershowitz contends that the cards might actually increase freedoms. "Four
> Arab-looking guys reading the Koran are much less suspicious if they have
> the cards and can just slash them through card readers," he said.

The hijackers could have done just the same, had a national ID card been in 
place prior to 9/11.

Declan, tell me this -- why the $%#$%!@$#! isn't the media pointing out, 
over and over, every time this moronic idea comes up, THAT THE TERRORISTS 
WERE IN THIS COUNTRY LEGALLY, WITH FULL LEGAL DOCUMENTATION, ETC, ETC, ETC? 
THAT HAVING AN 'ID CARD' WON'T STOP SOMEONE WHO IS ***GOING TO KILL 
HIMSELF***, BECAUSE HE'S NOT CONCERNED ABOUT BEING CAUGHT AFTERWARDS?

Why isn't anyone asking Ellison this? Why isn't every reference to a 
national ID card followed by some form of the phrase "Thus, Senator 
thus-and-such demonstrates his extreme stupidity, as the prescence of such 
a system would not have prevented the attacks on 9/11. Senator 
thus-and-such is a moron, and you should not vote for him."

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Date: Fri, 26 Oct 2001 15:20:04 +1100
From: Nathan Cochrane <ncochrane () theage fairfax com au>
Reply-To: ncochrane () theage fairfax com au
Organization: The Age newspaper
To: declan () well com
Subject: Re: FC: James Glassman wants national IDs: "We have to give up" 
privacy

Hi Declan

Although we don't have an ID card as such -- ie no piece of plastic in your 
wallet that says "AUSTRALIA CARD" -- we have a tax file number for 
individuals and the equivalent Australian Business Number for any business 
including the contractor, sole proprietor and self-employed.

To do anything with government or open a bank account etc, you need 100 
points of identification, such as a passport, photo driver's license and a 
credit card. All this information is cross-referenced using the security 
services' extensive database matching and datamining techniques.

Already, US datamatching developer Acxiom has access to our electoral roles 
so it can track us exhaustively for marketing purposes.

By next year all state drivers' licenses should be cross-referenced, and 
thereafter linked to facial recognition systems that are already in limited 
deployment.

Electronic tollways run by overseas multinationals also have the capacity 
to be integrated into this national private-public sector tracking grid. It 
can be cross-referenced to cell-phone activity, and police and retail store 
videocamera systems so there will be overlapping arcs of real-time, 
clandestine surveillance.

The reality is you don't have to have a piece of plastic to have an 
identity verification and surveillance network.

*********

From: AHKTrust () aol com
Date: Thu, 25 Oct 2001 22:24:59 EDT
Subject: Re: FC: James Glassman wants national IDs: "We have to give up" 
privacy
To: declan () well com

I'm sure Larry Ellison and Senator Feinstein will appreciate this national ID
system that is less expensive and completely foolproof and requires no
special software or technology:

Tattoo a number on every person's arm.

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Date: Wed, 24 Oct 2001 08:23:15 -0400
To: Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>
From: David Banisar <david_banisar () harvard edu>
Subject: id cards not so popular

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-102401idcards.story

National ID Card System Failing to Attract Supporters
By JOSEPH MENN
Times Staff Writer

October 24 2001

Calls for a national system of identification cards sparked by the Sept. 11 
attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon have gained little 
traction, failing to win endorsements from the Bush administration or 
congressional leaders.

Oracle Corp. Chief Executive Larry Ellison attracted national attention by 
calling for such a system in the wake of last month's terrorist attacks and 
offering to donate the database software that would be needed.

After a series of interviews touting the plan, Ellison continued to push 
his idea in meetings with U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), U.S. Atty. 
Gen. John Ashcroft and others, including the database giant's first 
customer, the CIA. Ellison said last week that future White House meetings 
were planned.

But Bush spokesman Jimmy Orr said the administration wasn't considering a 
mandatory ID program, and Feinstein is backing away from reports of her 
support.

The Justice Department said Tuesday it has no position on even a voluntary 
card and isn't planning anything of the sort.

"That high-level administration officials are somehow directing this, I 
think is a far cry," a department official said on condition of anonymity.
[...]

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From: "Thomas Leavitt" <thomasleavitt () hotmail com>
To: declan () well com
Subject: Re: FC: James Glassman wants national IDs: "We have to give up" 
privacy
Date: Fri, 26 Oct 2001 02:57:36 -0700

... at some level, I don't get the whole national ID card thing... I mean, 
how much different is having to have a driver's license or non-driver's id, 
than a national ID card? what am I missing?

Thomas

[The difference, I think, is this:
http://forums.siliconvalley.com/discussion/msgshow.cfm/msgboard=5968009897410465&msg=8036926450156813&page=1&idDispSub=5145094516046185
--Declan]

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